Sole metropolis in Iceland, and northern
most capital of any nation, Reykjavik has
grown from a fishing village of some 6,000
in 1900 to a sprawling city of 90,000 today.
By heating most homes and offices with wa
ter from thermal springs, it has avoided soot
and smog and earned the sobriquet "Smoke
less City." A Roman Catholic church, right
foreground, stands on a greensward opposite
234 the Catholic hospital.
With the Rolvaags we dined at the Naust,
once a fishermen's shed, now a smart restau
rant. The menu's boiled sheeps' heads, pickled
blood loaf, and well-aged shark failed to tempt
us. I had Norwegian lobster, delicious shell
fish about the size of large Louisiana shrimp,
and Pat settled for hangikjot-smoked lamb
-with white sauce.
Word that an American yacht lay in the
harbor spread quickly. Scores of people of all